PRCS demands independent probe into Israel’s killing of Gaza medics

The Palestine Red Crescent Society’s president has called for an independent international inquiry into the “deliberate killing” of 15 humanitarian personnel last month in an attack by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Israel pounds Gaza, bombing a tent housing journalists near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, killing at least two people and wounding nine others.Netherlands tightens controls on military and dual use exports to Israel
The Dutch government says it has tightened export controls for all military and “dual use” goods destined for Israel.

All direct exports and the transit of these goods to Israel will be checked to see if they comply with European regulations, and will no longer be covered by general export licences, the government said in a letter to parliament.

“This is desirable considering the security situation in Israel, the Palestinian territories and the wider region,” Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp and Trade Minister Reinette Klever wrote.

“Exporters will still be able to request permits, that will then be checked against European regulations.”

The government said no military goods had been exported to Israel under a general permit since the start of the Gaza war.Israeli attacks kill 37 people across Gaza since dawn
Medical sources tell Al Jazeera that at least 37 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since dawn.

Twenty-two of those killed were in the central and southern regions of the Strip, the sources said.‘How many bodies do we hand over?’
As the UN estimates that 100 children have been killed a day in Gaza since Israel resumed its war, Palestinians tell Al Jazeera about the impact of an attack on Khan Younis on Sunday night that killed and maimed several children.

“We were shocked to see that all of those martyred were children. Very few survived with injuries. All of those targeted were children. Here is my cousin. May God bless her soul. She is a child,” said a man who travelled in an ambulance with the body of his young cousin.

“All the ones they’re targeting are children. They have nothing to do with the resistance or the fighting. There was no warning.”

Another man, carrying an injured child, said, “Enough! … You either slaughter us once and for all, or you stop the bloodshed at once. Enough. Hand over more? What more do you want me to hand over? After 51,000 killed. How many bodies do we hand over?

“We will not call on the Arab countries … we will not appeal to them. We call on the rest of the non-Muslim world. Find us a solution. Hunger, thirst, death, and slaughter. Why? What did we do?”Israeli forces seal off entrances to West Bank city of Nablus
The Israeli army has sealed off all entrances to the city of Nablus as a general strike continues across cities in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera Arabic reports.

Local sources told the network that gates and military checkpoints were set up to prevent movement to and from the city.PRCS demands independent inquiry into killing of paramedics
The PRCS has called for an independent international investigation commission “to establish the facts and hold those responsible accountable” after Israel killed 15 medics in Gaza.

“It is no longer sufficient to speak of respecting the international law and Geneva convention,” PRCS president Younis al-Khatib said. “It is now required from the international community and the UN Security Council to implement the necessary punishment against all who are responsible.”

Al-Khatib also called on the international community to safeguard aid workers and prevent the targeting of hospitals, medical centres or ambulance vehicles.

He also requested that Israel disclose the whereabouts of PRCS staff who are still missing.Netanyahu ‘lost all restraints’ to remain in power, Gantz says
Opposition leader Benny Gantz says Netanyahu “lost all restraints that are possible to think of” and is “doing anything to stay in government”.

Speaking at a convention organised by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the head of the National Unity party slammed Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary, saying he was attempting to delegitimise the legal system for his personal advantage.

“He should take responsibility,” Gantz said. “The Israeli public from the left to the right won’t allow a ruler of this sort to stay in power at the next elections.”PRCS president lists evidence of Israeli crimes that emerge from video of attack
Al-Khatib has listed evidence contained in the video footage showing Israeli soldiers killing Palestinian medics, contradicting Israel’s narrative about what happened:

The ambulances had emergency lights on, and PRCS crew members were wearing emergency vests despite Israeli claims to the contrary.
Israel directly opened fire on the ambulances. This is also confirmed by one survivor, who said the ambulances came under direct fire with no warning. He also spoke of having been used by Israeli officers as a “human shield” before being able to escape.
Al-Khatib said Israel failed to prove even once that PRCS vehicles transported fighters in the past 15 years as Israel alleges.
In the video, paramedics can be heard praying that the fuel in their ambulances would be enough to carry out their rescue mission. This shows how the siege imposed by Israel has been affecting rescue services and the levels of stress that staff are put through.

Macron to make symbolic visit to El Arish amid aid blockade
Macron and el-Sisi spoke with one voice earlier as they condemned the resumption of the strikes on Gaza and called for an immediate return to the ceasefire and negotiations.

The French president will go tomorrow to El Arish, a town in northern Egypt some 50km (31 miles) from Gaza where humanitarian aid is gathered.

It’s very symbolic for a head of state to go there at a moment when assistance is backed up as Israel has stopped allowing aid into Gaza.

Before that, Macron will meet this afternoon with Jordan’s King Abdullah II as well as with el-Sisi again to focus particularly on Gaza.World beginning to understand who is telling the truth: PRCS
“We at PRCS have been accustomed to Israel’s false allegations and fabricated stories with regards to what goes on in the Gaza Strip,” the organisation’s president, Younis al-Khatib, says during the news conference.

“This involves the assassination of 15 PRCS members. However, we believe that the whole world, including media representatives, has now come to realise who is telling the truth.”

While the released video footage of Israel’s attack on the paramedics “was heart-wrenching and painful”, al-Khatib said it has several noticeable elements that will be presented in the news conference.